The discovery of three positive cases in wild boars outside the established six-kilometer safety zone suggests that current containment measures are failing. Industry leaders represent sixteen of the most influential companies in the Spanish pork sector.

Experts point to Germany as a cautionary tale, where five years of dealing with the virus led to a 25% drop in production and the closure of 5,000 farms. In Catalonia, the pork industry is the third-largest economic sector and is vital for employment in rural areas.

The board is calling for a unified strategy to tackle the wild boar population, which is the primary vector for the disease, to prevent a localized outbreak from becoming a national social and economic crisis.